{"product_id":"the-school-is-lava-a-story-about-emotionally-based-school-avoidance","title":"The School is Lava : A Story About Emotionally Based School Avoidance","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe School is Lava is an illustrated children's story by Danielle Jata-Hall, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, written for children with SEND who find attending school genuinely difficult. It follows Liv, a girl who once found school manageable but whose circumstances have changed, leaving her feeling sad, anxious and overwhelmed, and unable to attend in the way others expect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe story is a gentle way to open conversations about emotionally based school avoidance, a difficulty that many children with SEND experience but often struggle to put into words. Rather than presenting a single fix, the book follows Liv as she navigates feeling misunderstood and finds a path forward through supportive relationships, with the reassuring message that school and learning does not always look the same for everyone, and that this is okay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFor parents and home use\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eGives parents a gentle, story-led way to start a conversation with a child who is struggling to attend school, without needing to have all the answers themselves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eHelps a child feel less alone by showing a character who shares similar feelings of anxiety and being misunderstood.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eWritten with warmth rather than pressure, reassuring families that difficulty attending school does not mean something has gone wrong with their child.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eIllustrated by Samantha Webb throughout, making it approachable for children who find long blocks of text difficult to engage with.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFor schools\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eA useful addition to a SENCO's or pastoral team's resource shelf for supporting pupils experiencing emotionally based school avoidance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eCan be used as a starting point for one-to-one conversations between a pupil and a trusted adult, or read together in a nurture group or SEND provision setting.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eModels the message that learning can look different for different pupils, supporting a whole-school culture of understanding around attendance difficulties.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eShort chapter format (around 80 pages) makes it accessible for pupils who find longer books overwhelming.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor children with SEND, school avoidance is often driven by genuine anxiety and overwhelm rather than reluctance, and can be difficult for a child to explain even to people who want to help. The School is Lava gives children a character and a story to point to, which can make it easier to start talking about what is happening for them, at home or with school staff.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStory-led books like this one are commonly used alongside other pastoral and SEND support strategies to help children process difficult feelings about school in a low-pressure way, rather than as a replacement for individual support planning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you are looking for a story to open up a difficult conversation at home or a resource to support a pupil's pastoral care at school, The School is Lava is a gentle, honest starting point worth considering.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jessica Kingsley Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57917990142334,"sku":"BK2591","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0653\/6560\/6649\/files\/9781399830416.jpg?v=1787735661","url":"https:\/\/www.thedyslexiashop.co.uk\/products\/the-school-is-lava-a-story-about-emotionally-based-school-avoidance","provider":"The Dyslexia Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}